Giving Back to the Community

Our guild members believe in giving back to the community in which we live. We support several local organizations with donations of quilts.

Project Warmth - Warming our Community with Quilts

Project Warmth, an entity within the guild that arranges donations of quilts, is one of our most active and worthwhile endeavors. Originally created to give quilts to families or individuals whose homes had been lost or severely damaged by fire, Project Warmth has been expanded to include other needs and requests. Quilts are donated regularly to Rapid City Regional Hospital pediatrics, WAVI, Youth & Family Services, Black Hills Children's Home, Habitat for Humanity, and fire victims. Special requests are considered.

Each year members of the guild make and donate over 300 quilts. Project Warmth is the perfect place to meet new quilters, express your creativity and learn new techniques without fear of judgment and without cost to you. Work days are open to all area quilters. Everyone is encouraged to join in and help out. If you cannot attend the work day, fabric is available to make quilt tops or blocks at home.

Project Warmth receives donations of fabric and other quilting materials used for the quilt tops. Donations are always welcome. Members gather to work together on these quilts and the Project Warmth Committee then works to get the tops quilted or tied. Regular work days are scheduled for the last Monday of the month from September through April, excluding November and December; other dates may be scheduled at the discretion of the chair. These meetings are held at Faith Lutheran Church.

Quilt Display at the Cancer Care Institute

The guild is happy to provide an ever-changing quilt display in the halls leading to the treatment rooms at Rapid City Regional Cancer Care Institute. The committee solicits quilts from guild members and changes the display approximately every three months. Our hope is that these quilts will brighten a patient's day as he or she goes in for treatment.

Silent Auction for Hospice of the Hills

One of the charitable activities of the guild is the silent auction benefiting the Hospice of the Hills. The auction starts at Regional Hospital the Wednesday before the quilt show, moves to the quilt show for the weekend, and closes on Sunday afternoon an hour before the end of the show. In 2017, there were over 30 items donated for the Hospice Auction. About $2,250 was raised for Hospice House of the Black Hills, making a total of nearly $32,000 donated in the last 13 years. Quilted objects, from true miniatures to table runners, are made and donated throughout the year by quilt members.

Boots for Troops

Guild members have participated in Boots for Troops for the past several years. Christmas stockings, sent to deployed military personnel, are made and filled with basic toiletries, snacks, and games, as well as holiday greetings and a message of appreciation for their service to our country. The stockings are sent to relatives and friends of guild members and everyone in their unit. If you know of someone who is deployed, you can send their name, address, and the number of people in their unit to the committee chair via Contact Us.

Caring Hearts and Thinking of You

The guild supports their fellow quilt sisters who are in need of a hug from their friends. Caring Heart Blocks are made by members and sewn into quilts. These quilts are given to members who are experiencing serious health or personal concerns. Smaller Thinking of You (TOY) Blocks are given to members who may be carrying extra burdens to let them know they are in our thoughts.